On 28 October 2026, Rail Business Daily reported that West Midlands-based SME MoniRail and a consortium of academic, industry and public-sector organisations have secured a contract award from Innovate UK under the Quantum Missions Primer Phase 2 initiative, part of the UK Government’s investment in quantum technologies. The project advances MoniRail’s Rail Quantum Inertial Navigation System (RQINS) toward a first commercial product for use on the London Underground and follow-on development. Financial details of the Innovate UK award and ownership or supplier identities beyond named partners are not publicly disclosed.
The consortium is led by MoniRail and includes Imperial College London, University of Sussex and spin-out Spectomiq Ltd, PA Consulting, Transport for London (TfL), GBRX, Durham University and QinetiQ. Imperial and Sussex supply the novel quantum sensors; QinetiQ and Durham University will develop map-matching and embedded software-in-hardware capability respectively; TfL will provide access to testing facilities and enable live operational trials on the London Underground; PA Consulting will provide system integration expertise; and GBRX will work to align the system for UK heavy rail application. Innovate UK is the contracting body for the Quantum Missions Primer Phase 2 award. The reported project follows prior Innovate UK SBRI Quantum Catalyst funding that demonstrated the RQINS concept and produced a 2025 Product Maturity Roadmap Development Project under Contracts for Innovation: Quantum Sensors and PNT Missions Primer. This RailZoom Intelligence Brief is an original synthesis based on the cited public source. Details not confirmed by a first-party announcement are identified as reported information. For overseas project development or industry intelligence cooperation, contact RailZoom.
Lead
On 28 October 2026, Rail Business Daily reported that West Midlands-based SME MoniRail and a multi-organisation consortium have been awarded a contract by Innovate UK under the Quantum Missions Primer Phase 2 initiative, part of the UK Government’s investment in quantum technologies. The project aims to implement the Rail Quantum Inertial Navigation System (RQINS) Product Maturity Roadmap to bring a first commercial version to market and to develop a second-phase solution for use on the London Underground. Financial amounts, ownership and supplier contractual details are not publicly disclosed.
Verified facts
The company said the Innovate UK award follows earlier Innovate UK SBRI Quantum Catalyst funding that demonstrated the RQINS concept and resulted in a 2025 RQINS Product Maturity Roadmap Development Project under Innovate UK’s Contracts for Innovation: Quantum Sensors and PNT Missions Primer. According to the report, the Quantum Missions Primer Phase 2 contract will fund the implementation of that Product Maturity Roadmap with the objective of producing the first commercial RQINS product and progressing a second-phase solution. The report does not disclose the value of the Innovate UK award to MoniRail or to the consortium, nor does it disclose ownership or supplier commercial terms beyond named partners. The intended operational environment cited in the report is the London Underground, specifically where satellite signals cannot reach and where precise fault location is required.
Organizations and responsibilities
- MoniRail: Consortium lead and project coordinator; responsible party for delivering the RQINS commercialisation programme as stated by the report. - Imperial College London and University of Sussex (and spin-out Spectomiq Ltd): Providers of the novel quantum sensors that underpin the positioning system, as reported. - QinetiQ: Reported to support development of advanced map-matching capabilities. - Durham University: Reported to embed software in hardware for the solution. - Transport for London (TfL): Identified as the direct end-user and reported to provide access to testing facilities and to enable live operational trials on the London Underground for evaluation purposes. - PA Consulting: Reported to provide technical and system integration expertise. - GBRX (Great British Railways strategic technology and innovation body): Reported to work with the consortium to ensure the system is designed for application on UK heavy rail networks.
Innovate UK is the contracting body for the Quantum Missions Primer Phase 2 initiative and the source of the award reported in the article.
Operational and commercial context
According to the report and company statements cited in it, the project seeks to move RQINS from a proven concept to a commercially viable product for subterranean and GNSS-denied railway environments such as the London Underground. The reported benefits emphasised by MoniRail include the ability to locate train and track faults precisely where satellite signals can’t reach, which the company said should reduce the time required to find and fix faults and therefore reduce potential delays. The report also referenced an earlier reported world-first mainline test earlier in the year as context for system performance assessment. GBRX said (as reported) that this phase will help understand engineering requirements for operational application and acceleration of development for network systems. The UK Government’s wider narrative, cited from a ministerial statement reported in the article, frames the award as part of a national strategy to translate quantum research into real-world applications across sectors; the report did not provide further technical performance metrics, deployment timelines beyond the product maturity roadmap activity, or contract financials.
Sources
https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/monirail-secures-share-of-50-million-as-part-of-uk-governments-investment-in-quantum-technologies/ — Rail Business Daily
Disclosure
This RailZoom Intelligence Brief is an original synthesis based on the cited public source. Details not confirmed by a first-party announcement are identified as reported information. For overseas project development or industry intelligence cooperation, contact RailZoom.
